'Don't Get In A 5-Hour Line': Thousands Show Up At Dallas' Fair Park For COVID-19 Vaccinations
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - It was absolute congestion and clogged highways and streets in East and South Dallas Wednesday, Feb. 24, as thousands of people tried to access Fair Park for the opening of the super COVID-19 vaccination site managed by FEMA and Dallas County.
It is officially the largest vaccination hub in North Texas.
Eighteen lanes of vaccine drive thru.
The crowd was so large, people walking to DART's Fair Park Station where bused into the vaccine site, provided shots, then bused back to the station.
FEMA's role in this super site focuses on vaccinating people from identified Dallas zip codes with higher infection rates.
Three-thousand people got their first doses on Wednesday.
Dallas County Health and Human Services served those scheduled for their second dose, but it was clear early on, people who were NOT scheduled for their second dose were packing the lines.
The county had to urge people to stop coming due to the traffic ham.
"Wait until we tell you," said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins. "Don't get in a five-hour line. We are going to get this done, get you caught up in the next few days, but now is not the time to get in the line."
Because of the backlog, the Dallas super site is expected to only offer second doses on Thursday, with Dallas County and FEMA together, to try to avoid the traffic mess that happened Wednesday.